South Carolina State University (also known as SCSU, State College among the older alumni members, or simply State), is a Historically black university located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. It is the only state funded, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina and is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Founded in 1896, its current enrollment is 4,525 students, with 550 faculty members. Its nickname is the Bulldogs with the school colors being garnet and blue, the school's campus size is 160 acres, with an additional 286 acres at Camp Harry Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina, and its current president is Dr. Andrew Hugine Jr.

Under the 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act, the South Carolina General Assembly created the Colored, Normal, Industrial, Agricultural, and Mechanical College of South Carolina on March 3, 1896. The new school, separated from nearby Claflin College (now Claflin University) after 24 years, operated in one building, Morrill Hall, which held classrooms, the library, dormitories, and the president's office and residence.

Academic programs received more attention as the student population increased, but other programs, such as the university's high school, were forced to close due to the Great Depression. Fortunately, the New Deal Programs were used to create, among other things, Wilkinson Hall, the university's first separate library building (now home to Admissions and Financial Aid).

The college's campus grew, as it purchased over 150 acres for agricultural learning. After World War II, many students flocked to the college, creating a classroom shortage problem for the school. In 1947, the United States Army created an ROTC detachment, in which all male students were required to enroll until mandatory enrollment ended in 1969. The school's name changed, as well, as the South Carolina General Assembly renamed the school South Carolina State College in 1954. Because of the "separate but equal" laws in the state, the legislature gave the college large sums of money to build new academic facilities and dormitories, some of which still stand on the campus today, including the Student Union (1954), and Turner Hall (1956). This was done in order to give black students an environment of "equal" education. Also, the legislature created a law program for the college, mainly to prevent black students from attending the law school at the then-segregated University of South Carolina. The law program folded in 1966 after the University of South Carolina integrated.

During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, many students participated in marches and rallies aimed at ending segregation. The struggle came to a climax on the night on February 8, 1968, when three students were killed and 27 others were wounded by state policemen at the height of a protest that opposed the segregation of a nearby bowling alley. The tragedy, known as the Orangeburg Massacre, is commemorated by a memorial plaza near the front of the campus. From the late-1960s to the mid-1980s, under the leadership of Dr. M. Maceo Nance, the campus experienced unprecendented growth in the form of new academic buildings, such as Nance Hall (1974) and Belcher Hall (1986), new residence halls, such as Sojourner Truth Hall (1972), which, at 14 stories, is the tallest building in Orangeburg County, and a new library building (1968), not to mention enlargements and renovations of existing facilities. The school also opened the I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium, which is the only facility of its kind on a historically black university campus in the United States. After Dr. Nance's retirement in 1986, Dr. Albert Smith assumed the office of the school's president and, among other achievements, created an honors college in 1988.

During the tenure of Dr. Smith, the school also gained university status from the South Carolina General Assembly, becoming South Carolina State University in February of 1992. In 1993, Dr. Barbara Hatton became the school's first female president and created many improvements for the campus, such as the 1994 renovation of Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium, constructing new suites and a larger press box, as well as increasing its capacity to 22,000. Hatton also spearheaded the creation of a plaza which resides in front of the Student Union and passes by several dorms and buildings in the central portion of the campus. Under SC State's next president, Dr. Leroy Davis, South Carolina State University celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1996, and the school constructed a Fine Arts Center in 1999, giving the art and music departments a new home.

Under the leadership of Dr. Andrew Hugine Jr., since 2003, the school is currently constructing a new 771-bed residence hall, which, when completed, will be the largest dormitory in South Carolina. The first four buildings in Phase One opened on August 26, 2006, and the last two in the first phase opened on September 10, 2006. With the opening of the new dorms, SC State will close five dorms, Bethea (freshmen male), Miller (female), Earle (female), Bradham (female), and Manning (female) Halls. Both Bradham and Manning Halls had been used since the World War I era, Miller Hall is being closed due to fire alarm system malfunctions, and Bethea is being closed after 50 years of service due to numerous building and health problems. Bethea Hall will be torn down to make way for the new Student Union Complex and green space.

The dining halls, both Washington Dining Hall and "The Pitt", located in the Student Union, received major facelifts, and the dining hall inside Truth Hall will soon be renovated into a cyber cafe. The university is also working to renovate Lowman Hall, which, when refurbished, will be the new administration building. South Carolina State recently broke ground on the new James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center (UTC), which will be home to the only UTC in South Carolina, one of only three among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and one of only 33 total UTCs in the nation.

Website: http://www.scsu.edu

School Legends

1. Marion Motley
2. David "Deacon" Jones